Darkened Days
by Skylar Ania Dahlberg
Summary: Nine years, I've been isolated. All I remember is the cold, dead, white eyes that brought me to this hell. Ever since then, I've been living in darkened days. But Notch knows what'll happen when a bunch of yahoos like this find me.
1. 1 I'm Not Alone

(Alex's POV)

I stare out the window as I sit on the windowsill of my cell. I've been in here for the past nine years and I never knew why. All I remember is the screams of my parents, fire, and white glowing eyes. I shiver at the memory of them. Anything other than that is a blur, including why I'm in this dreadful prison. I've never been outside of this single room. Food appears at the door occasionally, practically every two weeks. Due to that, I'm extremely skinny. Most would say it to be unhealthy… and they're right. But I gain my energy from something else; nature. Any contact from any of the elements (like fire, water, air, etc.) and I obtain new strength. As a child, I always thought someone would come for me. But through the years, my hope shattered. I was only ten when I woke up in this godforsaken jail and I've been alone ever since. My purple-tipped light brown hair grew to such lengths that finally annoyed me into tying it into a side braid. My once vibrant purple eyes have dulled and I barely smile anymore. My single outfit (which consists of a pair of dark jeans, a navy shirt with elbow-length sleeves, black gloves, a gold and amethyst amulet, and black hunting boots that reach up to my knees) is tattered and ripped in several places, but they managed to stay together… somehow…

The greatest mystery I've coped with in the nine years I've been here was the fact that I have wings, dragon wings. It's like they were a part of me, even before I came to this place. I have a tail and ears to match, covered in purple and black scales that are almost as tough as diamond. I've had no contact with the outside world, seeing as the prison itself had been built in the middle of the ocean without any trace of the mainland or even an island as far as I can see. I can still hear my parents shouting my name every night in my dreams. I've never known what happened to them, which forces me to presume them dead.

_Tap… tap… tap…_ The quiet drumming of my tail against the cold stone wall draws me out of my thoughts and I look away from the window, staring at my knees.

"Hey," My head snaps up at the voice, "You can't trap us here!"

"Yeah, we didn't do anything." A second voice says and my black cat-like ears swivel around, trying to find the source of the voices. _Down the west hall, by the cafeteria, at least… five people._

"Just get in your cells," A third voice calls out. So far, they all sound like men, young, around twenty age wise.

"Well, this isn't good," The second voice complains.

"Yeah, no shit Adam," The first voice snaps back.

"Thanks for summing it up," A gruff yet kind sounding voice interrupts.

"Why are you guys getting angry at me?" The second voice, apparently Adam, asks.

"Well, we have no idea what we're doing! We just got kidnapped!" The gruff voice yells.

"Aside from that," A new voice said, "we need to figure out how to get out of here." Two different doors open next to me and are slammed shut, but I sit unfazed by it.

"Alright, I've got everyone in the same cell… except Adam and Tyler. Guys, which cell are you in?" The newer voice asks. The door to my cell is thrown open and I hear two thuds.

`"Ow," Someone groans to my left. I turn to my left and see two young boys, about twenty maybe twenty-one, the first wearing a red and black checkered hoodie and jeans and the other with a strange black suit and an amulet, much like mine, lying on the ground, clutching their foreheads.

"Adam? Tyler?" The voice asks again.

"We're alright," The boy responds, "But we have no idea what cell we're in. You sound close, Mitch, so I'm guessing we're in the cell next to yours." He looks around the room, spotting me as I wrap my wings around myself.

"Uh, guys?" Tyler, the boy with the checkered jacket I'm guessing, calls to the boys in the other cell.

"What is it, Brotato?" Adam says back. I hear him gasp as he turns towards me, following Tyler's gaze. I part my wings the tiniest bit to see the boys in my cell staring at me. I don't really take a liking to their conversation.

"Tyler, what… what is that?" Adam nearly shouts, pointing at me.

"Not a what; who. And I don't know. She was in here before us."

"Should we try to talk to her?"

"I don't know," The boy known as Tyler replies and turns to look back at me, "I'll try to talk to her." Ignoring him, I pull a small golden box that's attached to a golden chain around my neck from beneath my shirt and open it, my mother's lullaby twinkling softly and I quietly sing the words. ( watch?v=aRPyoPGO...)

_"__If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night. When I turn jet black and you show off your light. I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine. But you can skyrocket away from me and never come back if you find another galaxy. Far from here with more room to fly, just leave me your stardust to remember you by._

_"__If you'll be my boat, I'll be your sea; a depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity, ebbing and flowing and pushed by a breeze. I live to make you free. I live to make you free. But you can set sail to the west if you want to and pass the horizon, 'til I can't even see you. Far from here where the beaches are wide, just leave me your wake to remember you by. _

"_If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky. You can hide underneath me and come out at night. When I turn jet black and you show off your light. I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine. But you can skyrocket away from me and never come back if you find another galaxy. Far from here with more room to fly, just leave me your stardust to remember you by… stardust to remember you by."_ I smile weakly at the memory of singing that to my little sister and brother when it was just me and them in the house. I feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes as I see their sweet faces flash across my mind. I part my wings and glance out the window, seeing the sky as if it is a canvas and someone threw pink, orange, and yellow paint on it.

"You two should sleep," I suggest without looking at them, "It'll be dark soon." I can tell they give each other a nervous glance, but they follow my advice and climb into the bunk beds on the left side of the room. I lean my head against the cold stone brick and my eyelids feel heavy. I let them close and I fall asleep.


	2. 2 Warming Up

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_ "Get up!" My eyes snap open and I turn to see the warden tapping his bat against the cell bars. I growl at him, unfolding my wings a bit as to show my dominance, and his eyes widen in fear as he backs away from the cell.

"That's right," I snarl, "You're in my domain, bitch." I smirk as he runs to the cell next to ours after flipping the switch to our cell. Well, that's new. Come to think of it, I've never seen that warden before. Hell, I haven't even seen a warden around here before. I turn my head to look out the window; why the hell did that warden wake us? It's around 3 AM, judging by the position of the moon. I shrug and turn to the boys, still sleeping peacefully on their beds. Time to end that; I push myself onto my feet and trudge over to the bottom bunk that's being occupied by the boy with the amulet… Adam, I think his name is. I have to admit, he's actually pretty cute. But what do I know about love? I've been locked away for the past nine years, isolated from the world. I roll my eyes at myself and return to waking him and… Tyler, I think. I smirk, knowing just what to do. I blow a puff of air at his face, a small flame erupting from it. It chars his nose a little bit, but I watch as his eyes flutter open and I grin.

"Good morning," I mutter and stand back up from my hunched position to hoist myself onto the top bunk. I can't use the same trick twice, but… eh, who cares? I blow a small flame at Tyler, fogging his glasses, and his eyes snap open from the sudden heat. Groaning, he takes the glasses off and puts his hand under his shirt, wiping the lenses with the fabric. I sit, waiting patiently as Tyler puts his glasses back on and lays back down, this time resting his head on my lap. He doesn't seem to notice. Adam stands from his bed and looks up at us, trying to hold back laughter as I shrug and do the same.

"So, uh," Adam starts awkwardly, "I'm…"

"Adam, yes," I say, cutting him off, "I know."

"Wait, you know us?"

"No, I just heard your conversation with your friends last night and put two and two together."

"So, you know that's…" He point to Tyler, who's still asleep on my lap.

"Tyler, yeah," I begin to unconsciously pet Tyler's hair.

"You, uh, you have a beautiful voice, Ms.…" He trails off.

"Alex," I answer, "Thank you, Adam."

"So," He continues, hopping onto the bed next to me, "how long have you been here?"

I stare down at Tyler as I answer, "Nine years, since I was ten." I chuckle humorlessly and stop petting Tyler's hair, placing the hand on his arm, but realizing my hands are ice cold from the night wind, I let my hand hang over his chest as my wrist rests on his arm.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Adam apologizes.

I sigh. "I-It's fine." My tone of voice says otherwise. I put the heel of my hand to my forehead as a sudden pain shoots through it. Adam places his hand on my shoulder as I groan softly.

"Are you alright?" He asks and the pain stops.

"Y-Yeah," I mutter, looking up at him, "I'm okay." I see his eyes flicker to my chest…

"Where'd you get that amulet?" I sigh, picking up my amulet and staring at it.

"My best friend gave it to me," I explain, my voice cracking slightly, "the day before… the day before I showed up in this hell hole." I lean back against the wall and close my eyes, listening to my heart beat. It's silent for a moment until…

"What was your friend's name?" Adam whispers. Prying open one of my eyes, I spot Adam sitting right beside me, our arms almost touching.

I close my eye again and respond, "He went by Sky a lot. He called me Dragon… heh, the irony of that; am I right?" I chuckle, flexing my wings a little. Adam slides his legs under Tyler's, who's oddly enough still asleep, and scoots closer to me. The skin of our arms touch and I flinch away, the sudden warmth startling me. I usually sleep on the window ledge, so I'm not accustomed to body heat, especially since I haven't had human contact for nine years. I settle back against the wall, my arm in contact with Adam's, but don't flinch away this time.

"I just have one more question…" Adam continues and I feel my weight shift, "Why are you being so nice to us? I mean, you only met us, well, a few hours ago."

"I've been alone for nine years," I mutter, letting my head fall onto Adam's shoulder, "I could use a friend." I yawn as I close my eyes and Adam slips his arm around me, leaning his head on mine. I sit in silence, listening to his heart beat and breathing in the darkness that surrounds us. Without meaning to, I unfold my wing and wrap it around Adam, pulling him closer to me. My chest tightens and my stomach feels knotted; _is this love?_ My eyes snap open at the thought. I scoot closer to Adam, careful not to wake him. I like his warmth; it's comforting… and familiar. So is Tyler's. _They could be… no, they were killed in the fire. That's impossible, Alex. They can't be Sky and Brotato. They were your best friends. You would recognize them, even at this age… would I?_ Tyler rolls over, his head still on my lap, and he smiles once I begin to once again pet his hair. _There's a chance…_ I carefully slip his glasses off and clip them to the frame of the bed, careful not to wake the two. I lean my head back on Adam's shoulder, deep in thought.

"Come on, guys." I'm pulled out of my thoughts, "They're in this cell!" I watch as the wall across from the beds slowly cracks, eventually shattering. Three boys, about Adam and Tyler's age, stumble out of the hole and spot me. Seeing one of them pull out a sword, I put my hands up in defense and mouth "I'm a friend." He puts his sword away, still eyeing me suspiciously, and another one of the boys climbs up to get a proper look at me. All I can see of this one is his green and black headset resting on top of his dark brown mop of hair that frames mesmerizing maroon eyes.

"So, you're friends of theirs?" He asks in a hushed voice, gesturing to the two boys that are using me as a pillow.

"You could say that," I whisper back, "And you are…?"

"Ty; and this is Mitch," He points to the boy that's still eyeing me suspiciously, who's wearing a black and red checkered jacket, white shirt, and jeans. He looks a lot like Tyler, minus the glasses.

"And that's Jerome," Ty points to a young… bacca, I guess (honestly, I've seen weirder.) which is wearing a black business suit and a red tie, much like a human. I look back at Mitch, who's still eyeing me, but it's not with suspicion anymore. Instead, it's replaced with… curiosity… Okay, then.

"What are you guys doing up so early?" I ask, looking out the window and seeing the moon hasn't moved very much. Ty shrugs.

"The warden woke us up, the dick." I giggle and Tyler fidgets on my lap. Ty notices and glances down at him then back at me.

"It was not my doing. He laid down on me. I suggest you go back to bed; you'll need your strength for tomorrow. We don't know what's going to come. Honestly, I haven't seen anyone else around this place before you five came." Ty nods and hops off of the bed frame, trudging back to his cell with Mitch and Jerome. I smile and lean my head back on Adam's shoulder, finally allowing myself to sleep.


	3. 3 Shit Just Got Real

I open my eyes, finding myself lying on my back and a slight pressure on my stomach. I turn my head to the right and see Adam lying next to me, smiling. I honestly can't tell if he's asleep or not, thanks to his sunglasses. I reach over, careful not to wake him, and slip the darkened glasses off his face. I clip them onto the bed frame next to Tyler's, which I have to reach over my head to do. I finally look down at myself, finding Tyler laying his head on my stomach, his head rising and falling with my every breath. I try not to laugh, since it would wake him, and rest my head back on the pillow. _Looks like I'll have to wait for him to wake up… _I mentally groan, _or I could just push him off. No, that'd be mean, but it' be funny._ I vote against waking him and look over to Adam again, seeing his eyes flutter open.

"Hey," I whisper, trying not to move very much. Adam smiles and his eyes flicker down to Tyler, his grin growing and I can see him trying to hold back a laugh.

"Go get the others," I mutter, pointing to the hole in the wall Mitch, Ty, and Jerome had made the previous night, "They came through last night." Adam nods, hopping off the bed while I lay helpless with Tyler on top of me. I find it extremely difficult to resist pushing him off, but he looks cute when he sleeps… wait… brain, shut up! I grab my locket and open it, letting my mother's lullaby play softly. As I begin to hum along, I start petting Tyler's hair, feeling calm for once in my life. I watch as his eyes flutter open, connecting with mine, and I reach back over my head, grabbing Tyler's glasses and handing them to him. He slips them on and a light blush dusts his cheeks as he shoots up from his position. I begin to laugh as I sit up and Adam runs back into the room with Ty and Jerome trailing after him.

"You missed it," I admit between fits of giggles, "He woke up."

"Well, obviously," Adam answers, beginning to giggle. Ty and Jerome exchange confused glances, but with smiles.

"Anyway, hey guys." I wave to Ty and Jerome with them returning the gesture. My mind flashes back to what happened last night and I snap my head towards the door; still open. A sudden giddiness runs through me and I leap off the bed, throwing myself through the door. I laugh as I jump over the railing, unfolding my wings and feeling the wind beneath them that helps me soar to the catwalk. I shoot back down to the cell and hover above the door, watching as the others come out.

"It's been forever since I could stretch these babies!" I say, stretching as I do.

"Well, someone's happy," Ty comments, giving me a sly look. I roll my eyes and land, but I trip over my own feet and tumble to the floor… on top of someone. My eyes snap open as I push myself onto my elbows, finding myself on top of Ty.

"You really need to work on your landings," He says, chuckling a bit. I feel my cheeks heat up and smile awkwardly, shooting back onto my feet and holding a hand out to him. He grabs it, blushing lightly, and I pull him to his feet.

"Oh," A voice thunders and I spin around, expecting to see the warden, but he isn't there, "how cute. I hate cute. Now to start the game, since all of our players have arrived." He chuckles and I freeze; I know that voice… and I'm terrified of it. A man with a teal shirt, blue pants, and black sneakers looms in front of me, making me stumble back and land on my ass on the floor, pushing myself onto my elbows as I glower at Herobrine, trying to hide my fear.

"Acting like the strong one, are we?" Herobrine asks, boasting of my weakness, "It's not your place, you know that."

"Hey," Jerome interrupts, stepping between me and the god, "Leave her alone."

"What'd I miss?" Asks a tired Mitch, who walks out of his cell, rubbing his eyes and he spots Herobrine, "Oh…"

"Anyways," Herobrine continues, using his black magic to lift me into the air, "let's play, shall we?" He clamps his hand into a fist, causing a constricting pain to crush my body, and I scream. It goes on for a few minutes before I land on the floor, unable to move and gasping for air.

"A-Alex…?" I say nothing. I feel the rhythm of my heart beat get slower… and slower… and slower… until it stops. My head falls to the side… _am I dead?_ _No, I couldn't be. I'm still thinking and I'm still aware of the outside world._ Seeing as I can't move, I wait for my mind to shut off and sit in silence… until I hear a quiet pounding come from my chest. I cough and sit up, thinking, _"__What the hell just happened?"_ I clutch my forehead, but tense as I look at my surroundings; the center of a forest, covered in snow… the taiga biome… I think. I've seen nothing but ocean for the past decade, so… I'm repetitive with that, aren't I? Yeah, I am. Sure, I'm ecstatic to see actual grass and dirt and _the sky_, but I'm stunned, wondering how the hell I got here. I look into the sky, seeing the sun right above me; noon. I push myself to my feet and unfold my wings, but a sharp pain shoots through my shoulder blades, forcing me to close them. I twist my neck to look at my back, seeing a glowing red aura around my wings.

"Now, now," Herobrine chuckles, his voice echoing around me, and I ready myself for battle, "we wouldn't want to cheat, would we? The penalty, after all…" A burning sensation meets with my skin and I scream, falling to my knees, "… is death."

"What have you done with them?" I yell, pushing myself to my hands and knees, "Where've you put them?"

"Oh, they've met with the same fate as you, darling," My breath hitches, "except without as much pain. I've put them in different biomes. Have fun finding them!" I sigh and groan in annoyance, my breath making a small white cloud in front of me. I shiver, rubbing my arms; it is a bit cold in this biome. _"__A_ _bit?!" _I shout mentally,_ "__This place is nothing but cold!"_ I shake my head lightly and throw myself over to a tree, beginning to punch it.

"Shit just got real." I state, grabbing the few blocks of wood that fall from the tree. I collect about twenty logs, the occasional apple hitting me in the head. I grab the apple each time one falls; I'll need a supply of food while I'm out here. I swipe my hand to the left, a screen popping up in front of me, and make the logs into wood planks.

"Okay, all I need is…" I crash through the trees, stumbling into a clearing, "…perfect." A _baa…_ startles me and I spin around, hitting the sheep. It dies in one hit and drops three pieces of wool.

"Well, then…"

{Time Lapse brought to you by… uh, stuff}

I slip inside my newly built shelter, the door slamming behind me thanks to the wind. I yelp and jump forward, alarmed. I shake it off (I'm not even going to make the reference) and trudge upstairs, falling face-first into my bed. I begin to close my eyes, feeling sleep overtake me… _Knock, knock, knock!_ I yelp once again, falling off the bed. I sit up, rubbing my head. _Knock, knock, knock!_ I jump to my feet, throwing myself down the stairs, and throw open the door, hoping it's one of the guys. Instead, I see a young man wearing a… blue spacesuit and holding his helmet under one of his arms, revealing his crystal-like blue eyes and light brown hair. He smiles at me.

"Uh, hi. C-Can we come in?" I nod hesitantly and step to the side, letting him enter the house and watching as he passes me. My brain takes a second to process… _"__Wait, 'we'?"_ I turn back to the door frame, seeing a second man enter, wearing a purple cloak, the hood framing his light brown hair, a gray shirt with a red creeper face on it, and gray pants.

"So…" I start awkwardly, closing the door behind me, "…hi." The boy in the spacesuit turns to me.

"Oh, sorry," He apologizes, "We just need a place to stay for the night. I'm Jason and this is Seto." He gestures to the man, apparently Seto, next to him. They both look about Ty's age, around nineteen. I nod.

"I'm Alex… you wouldn't happen to know Adam, would you?"

"Yes, actually, he's our friend. He, along with Ty, Mitch, Jerome, and Tyler, well, they sort of disappeared," He replies, scratching the back of his neck, and then he tenses, "Why do you ask?" I tense.

"I, uh," I clear my throat, "I'll tell you later, it's… complicated. So you need somewhere to rest for the night? I can help with that." I ascend the stairs, Jason and Seto following suit, and pull some of my extra wool and wood out of my bedside chest, side-stepping to the crafting bench to the side of it. I finish crafting the beds and place them on the floor, across from my own bed. I'm lucky I made the second floor so… spacy. I turn my attention to the window, seeing the sun set.

"I'll tell you about my… relationship with Adam in the morning, but for now, go to bed." Jason nods and throws himself onto one of the beds, while Seto stands in front of me, smiling. He suddenly hugs me, whispering, "Thank you," into my ear, and lets me go, smiling with tears in his eyes as he crawls into his bed. I stare as he closes his eyes, _"He seems so familiar… and he has the same name as your brother… I'll mull it over in my dreams."_ I pull myself from my thoughts and crawl into my own bed, letting myself fall asleep.


	4. 4 Lost and Found

But that's just it; I can't sleep. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Worry's eating away at my brain, I can feel it, and the thousands of questions swarming my mind don't help. _"__Where are the guys? Are they okay? Did they find each other? Why does Seto seem so familiar? And how is it that two of Adam's friends just showed up at my doorstep? How did they find me? What game is Herobrine playing with us?"_ I sigh and sit up, realizing I'll have no luck falling asleep anytime soon. I turn my head to Jason and Seto's beds, seeing them peacefully sleeping, smiling. I wish I had that… A reason to be happy, I mean. I had friends once, a family that loved me, but he took that away from me, and he took away the only people I had that were closest to friends in nine shitty years! I feel ready to collapse; ready to give up here and now. I have nothing. I can't even fly if I want to. I drop to my knees with a soft _thud! _I hang my head in defeat. Everything I had… is gone. A sudden crackling catches my attention and my head snaps up, facing me with a jagged circle of ice on the floor around me. I gasp as I spot part of the ice slowly creeping onto my skin.

"What the hell…?" My eyes trail down to my hand, its fingertips barely making any contact with the floor. And, here's the freaky part, my hand is glowing. What the hell, am I right? Okay, I'll stop breaking the fourth wall. I pull my hand back in surprise and press both into fists and against my chest, trying to contemplate what just happened. I shake my head and stand up and, as I do, the ice dissipates. I slip a shaky hand into my pocket, pulling out a pair of light purple gloves and sliding them onto my hands.

"Just in case…" I look up from my hands and practically glide to the door, slipping outside to grab some more wood. I shut the door behind me and scan the clearing, making sure no hostiles are going to kill me and sprinting over to the first tree I spot. I pull my fist back and strike the tree. Yeah, bad idea; my hand makes contact with the tree my shoulder feels like it burst into flames. I drop to my knees and clutch my shoulder, the pain unbearable. I almost scream, but prevent myself by gritting my teeth, and push the fabric off of my apparently injured shoulder. My eyes widen when I see a single trail of purple… I don't know, running across my skin. I try to wipe it off, but it stays in its place, as if untouched; it's etched. And… and it's glowing. I sigh in defeat and lean against the tree, sliding down its rough surface to sit on the thick layer of snow. This day just keeps getting more and more confusing by the second.

"Oh, don't worry; you'll understand soon enough, my sweet." My head snaps up and I press myself against the tree upon spotting Herobrine, "Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you." Even with his cooing, I still flinch away from him as he sits next to me.

"What the hell kind of game are you playing with me… with them?" I ask agitated and stand up, crossing my arms.

"It's only a test, sweetheart, now," He holds his hand out and clenches it into a fist when I don't take it, forcing me to sit next to him, "rest for now. The real game starts in the morning." Before I can protest, he snaps his fingers and my eyelids droop. My head falls to the side and I slump to the ground.

"Until next time, dearie," Herobrine bids a farewell and I feel myself go numb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tyler, over here," Someone yells and I groan softly, trying to open my eyes, "Alex…" A hand places itself on my cheek… a gloved hand.

"Alex… Alex, wake up." The person pleads. It sounds familiar… wait…

"A-Adam…?" I breathe weakly and he gasps. I force my eyes open to see Adam staring down at me in shock, tears clouding his eyes as he pulls me into a hug. I hide my face in his chest, whimpering and crying.

"What happened to you? Where were you?" I ask my voice muffled.

"After you had… well, _died_ …"

"I-I died?" I mutter and look up at Adam, who nods.

"Well, your heart stopped beating and you weren't breathing but that's not the point; we all blacked out and I woke up in a plains biome and I found Tyler," Just as his name is said, Tyler crashes through the trees towards us, "in the extreme hills biome. From the looks of it, you got the taiga biome." He gestures to my snow-covered clothes and hair and I roll my eyes.

"If that wasn't obvious enough," I retort, jerking my thumb back at my house. _"__Jason and Seto," _A voice says in my head, _"__They're still here. Probably still in bed, though."_ I tense; Jason and Seto… I leap out of Adam's grip and grab his and Tyler's hands, seeing them blush and pulling them inside. I throw them onto the couch and tell them to wait there as I dart up the stairs. I throw open the door to the bedroom and lose my balance, causing me to face-plant on the cold cobble stone floor. I push myself onto my elbows and rub my head, finding a small cut on my cheek with few drops of blood slipping out. I decide to ignore the pain and help myself to my feet, sneaking over to Jason's bed and poking his face lightly.

"Jason," I whisper, "Jason, wake up." He swats my hand away, chuckling lightly, and rolls over so that his back is facing me. I resist the temptation to push him off the bed and walk over to the other side.

"Jason," I try again, "Adam's downstairs." His eyes snap open and he shoots out of bed, throwing himself down the stairs. His sudden action startles me and I fall back, ending up sprawled on the floor facing the ceiling, laughing. Seto groans and sits up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He spots me and jumps out of bed, sliding across the floor on his knees over to me. He helps me sit up and I lean against his chest, still laughing and wanting to go back to sleep, but excited shouts from downstairs snap me back to reality. I stand up and grab Seto's hand to drag him downstairs, but he stops and pulls me closer to examine my face.

"Where'd you get this?" He asks, tracing the scar on my face. I point to the cobblestone floor where a bit of my blood stained it from when I face-planted. Seto sits me down on my bed and digs through my bed-side chest, pulling out some wool and dabbing my wound with it. I wince every time the makes contact with my cheek, but I let Seto tend to it.

"Alex," Tyler calls from downstairs and his footsteps trail to the door, "what's taking you so…? Seto…?" He opens the door and freezes when he spots Seto. I look from one to the other and smirk, backing off to let them have a moment. Seto stands up, completely ignoring me at the moment, and takes a few shaky steps towards Tyler, embracing him. I laugh in the background as the two catch up on what happened since they've last seen each other.

"I'll go see how Adam and Jason are doing," I state, slipping out of the room and sliding down the stair railing. What? I'm tired, okay? I skid to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and cross my legs, seeing Adam and Jason chatting in the middle of the room with grins.

"So what have you two been doing down here?" I ask, tilting my head down and smirking. Adam and Jason turn to me, startled at first, then burst out laughing when they see my expression. I can't hold back my laughter and crack up, eventually falling off of the railing.

"I hate to ruin the fun," Herobrine's voice echoes around us and we go silent, "but, oh who am I kidding? I love to ruin moments like this. I'm afraid that your grace period has ended. Let the game begin." I shoot Jason and Adam a nervous glance before I fall unconscious.


	5. TC Forum!

Hey guys, it's me Sky and this isn't an actual update to the story, but don't skip it! I have put up a forum to role-play TC style in. I already have one other member that's playing Mitch's little sister and I'm playing Adam's little sister. If you would like to join, PM me and I'll see if I can set up a character for you. I don't have all the characters' persona descriptions up yet, but I will soon. I have four female and six male characters available. Don't forget to PM me which character you want to be. This is the title to the forum right here: Team Crafted Role-Play: siblings

If you wish to look at what Bailey and I already have in the story, feel free to check, but don't post until I've given you a character and your character's entry in the story. Thanks for reading guys!


	6. 5 Let The Games Begin

(Alex's POV)

I push myself onto my elbows and clutch my forehead, seeing as a sharp pain runs through it as I wake up. After the pain settles, I pull my hand away and finally glance at my surroundings. I'm staring at a small stone brick room with a few chests on the wall in front of me, signs hovering above them. I help myself to my feet and trudge over to the signs, scanning them each. There are seven signs in total, each with a riddle and the chests below… what do they hold? I kneel in front of one of the many chests to open it and find a blank sign inside.

"No hints then?" I mutter aloud, smacking my forehead with the heel of my hand when I realize I'm alone. I look up at the riddle that I'm kneeling beneath: _"__I have a name that's not mine, and no one cares about me in their prime. People cry at my sight, and lie by me all day and night. What am I?"_ I sigh, thinking, "How the hell am I going to figure this out?!"

(Tyler's POV)

My eyes snap open. What just happened? One moment I was catching up with Seto and the next, I'm… in a glass dome? I help myself to my feet to find myself on a single block of Nether Quartz with two-block high walls of glass on my every side. I peer through the glass seeing other people, most of them strangers, in my same situation. I examine each and every one of them, seeing no one that I recognize. There might be one of my friends on the other side of the large stack of chests in front of me… wait… oh no, this is a Survival Games map. Well, I'm screwed. A holographic screen emerges from the middle of the pile of chests, a large 10 appearing on it as it begins to rotate.

"10," A voice overhead announces, "9, 8, 7, 6, 5," I ready myself to run, "4, 3, 2, 1…" A gunshot startles me and I shoot for the center, diving into one of the chests. I grab an iron chest plate, wooden sword, a couple pieces of bread, and a fishing rod and shoot off into the woods. I run for about a mile before collapsing from exhaustion. I look around, seeing a multitude of trees surrounding me. It's thick enough to hide in… perfect. I equip the chest plate and grip the wooden sword in my hand, ready to fight anything or anyone that came my way. A thought echoing in my mind makes me tense, _"__What if Mitch and Jerome are here?" _(Hint, hint. *nudge, nudge*)

(Mitch's POV)

"Come on, Biggums. We're never going to find the others if you go that slow." I shout down the cave behind me, my voice bouncing off the walls, to Jerome.

"If we're trying to find the others," He yells back, "what's the purpose of going mining?" He finally catches up to me, panting, with his stone pick-ax in hand.

"If we're going to find the others, we might be venturing for days upon days. What if, during that time, we run into trouble, huh Biggums? We'll need gear for protection." Jerome nods and catches his breath as we venture deeper into the cave system we found. Something sparkles at the end of the cave.

"Jerome, I see light!"

"Don't die on me, Mitch."

"Ha, ha; very funny. But seriously, look!" I point to the end of the cave at the yellow/orange haze. I gesture for Jerome to follow as I run to the light, finding myself at a small cliff. I peer over the edge and smile.

"Lava! Jack pot!" I step back from the ledge. "Jerome, I –." My breath hitches as I spot a creeper standing not ten feet from me, coming closer and closer by the second. I don't have a sword or Katniss… or any weapon at all for that matter.

"Mitch, watch it!" Jerome yells as the creeper flashes white twice and explodes. I get thrown back against the wall and find myself falling down, the lava pool directly below me. I squeeze my eyes closed and brace myself for intimate death.

"MITCH!" is all I hear before everything grows dark around me.

I feel my whole body shake lightly as my eyes shoot open and my breathing quickens, fogging the glass wall in front of me… and the one behind me… and the one to my left… and the one to my right… I press my hands against the glass and shiver lightly, my heart racing as I spot the large pile of chests in front of me. I crouch down, leaning against the glass. _"__Did I almost just die?" _I ask myself mentally.

"Biggums?!" Someone calls out to my left and my head snaps in the same direction to see…

"Jerome!" I shout, excited to see him here. "We gonna win da Hunger Deans?" He nods.

"We gonna win da Hunger Deans." He replies, his voice muffled by the glass. A holographic screen rises out of the pile of chests and begins to count down from ten.

"10, 9, 8," I mutter the numbers as they flash on the rotating screen, "7, 6, 5, 4, 3," I ready myself to run, "2, 1…" A gunshot sounds as the glass disappears and I shoot out from the capsule, throwing myself into one of the chests and raiding it. After shoving the items into my inventory, I glance around, trying to find Jerome. He jumps down from the top of the chests and runs off into the woods, grabbing my wrist as he passes me. We run until our muscles tighten and scream at us to stop. I collapse to my knees, panting, and pull out the gear I got from the chest: a bow, a quiver full of arrows ("Katniss…" I mutter,) along with a pair of leather pants, and a few pieces of steak. I slip on the leather pants and the quiver and hold my bow at the ready, just in case someone decides to jump out of the bushes and attack me or Jerome. Besides, he's still equipping his armor. I wonder if any of the others are here…

(Adam's POV)

I groan as I force my eyes open to see… not very much. I sit up and stare in horror at the abandoned road in front of me. I push myself to my feet and take shaky steps down the road, my footsteps and heavy breathing being the only din breaking the silence. Where the hell am I? I trip on a jagged part of the road and almost fall flat on my face, but I catch myself just in time. A wind blows from my right as if fleeing from something and I turn my attention to my right, seeing large, abandoned building with several boarded up windows and holes where the walls had been broken. I stand frozen in fear, my heart racing, and a shriek almost rips itself from my throat. Almost; instead I hear myself say something I never wanted to think about again:

"The Orphanage…"

(Seto's POV)

I blink and the next thing I know I'm standing in the middle of… I don't really know where I am, actually. The only thing I can see is darkness.

"Hey!" Someone calls behind me and I spin around, my eyes widening as they land on Ty. "Wait… Seto?!"

"Ty?!" I yell back, running over to him and embracing him. "Where the hell did you go?!"

"Some guy dragged us to a prison in the middle of the ocean!" Ty exclaims, pulling back. "We met someone named Alex there." Ty blushes lightly, looking away from me.

"Wait… 'Us'… 'We'…?"

"Yeah, Adam, Tyler, Jerome and Mitch were with me." Ty lets go of me, practically talking with his hands. "Once we were there, Tyler and Adam got thrown into the cell with Alex; you have to meet her."

I smile, "I already have."

"What... How?"

"Jason and I were still looking for you and we found a house in the middle of the taiga biome. Hoping it was you or one of the others, we ran up to the door and Jason practically broke it down when he knocked. Alex let us in and let us stay the night." I pause, hesitating. "I gave her sort of an awkward hug, because…" I look down at my feet, memories of my sister flashing through my mind.

"Because… what?" Ty asks, putting a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him and see something hiding in his eyes… jealousy…

(Jason's POV)

I groan to life, feeling light headed. To my surprise, I feel nothing around me. Nothing solid, nothing liquid; hell, if there's gas surrounding me, I can't tell. I pry my eyes open to find nothing but utter darkness surrounding me, with very few pin pricks of light. Everything is tinted just a little with orange thanks to my helmet, which at the moment I'm afraid to take off.

"Welcome, Jason," a voice thunders around me, "to your challenge."

"'Challenge'?" I ask, my hands forming fists. "What do you mean, 'challenge'?"

"A test." The voice continues. "Trial; task; shall I go on?"

"I get the gist of it. Now where the hell am I?"

"See for yourself." I look around… and my stomach sinks; now that I've actually gotten a good look around me, I know where I am. I scramble out of the path of an oncoming meteorite, its flaming tail whipping behind it, and I watch in fascination as it passes me.

"Let's see if the spaceman," The voice interrupts my thoughts, "can survive the depths of space."


	7. 6 Alex's Riddles, Part 1

(Alex's POV)

Are you kidding me? I have to figure out seven riddles? I pace back and forth in the small room, the clicking of my boots against the stone below me being the only sound heard besides my muttering of the first riddle repetitively.

"'_I have a name that's not mine, and no one cares about me in their prime. People cry at my sight, and lie by me all day and night. What am I?'" _I groan in annoyance. "This is impossible! It can be a thousand different things. And what the hell does prime mean?"

"Alex." My head snaps up at the sudden voice calling my name. It's tone, soft and kind, as if it were my own father. "You have experience with this particular answer. Your childhood, remember?"

"My…. My childhood?" I murmur. "All I remember about my childhood is being trapped in that dingy old cell."

"Before that."

"Before…?"

"Here, I can help you remember." A sudden sharp, searing pain erupts in the back of my mind, causing me to fall to my knees clutching my head. Images flash before my eyes, memories flooding back; my parents, my friends… everything. The images all disperse, leaving a single frame flickering in my head.

_I sat in the courtyard of my elementary school hanging my head as I stared at my hands in my lap, my satchel sitting on the bench beside me. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I watched as my knuckles started to bruise; I had gotten into another fight that day._

_The day of the fires… the day I was taken to the jail._

_"Alex?" I looked up and over my shoulder, seeing the school counselor, Mrs. Norris, approach and sit beside me. "This is the third time this quarter. You have to do something about this behavior."_

_"I know…" I murmured, turning away. "But he deserved it."_

_"Excuse me? No one deserves to publicly humiliated like that, Alex!"_

_"He got what was coming to him!" I stood, facing Mrs. Norris, tears rushing to my eyes. "He made fun of me just because my parents are dead!" My voice cracked multiple times._

_"True, but he didn't deserve what you did to him; having your nose broken, being tied up, and locked in the janitor's closet is not a proper punishment!"_

_"I did it because he wasn't treating me properly!"_

_"Alex…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice soft. "We called your step-father." My eyes widened in fear at that statement._

_"No!" I cried._

_"You have to fix this behavior, Alex. Aren't you supposed to be setting a good example for your younger brother and sister?" My eyes flickered away from Mrs. Norris and to the West of the courtyard, where my younger sister Joselin and brother Seto stood, staring at me concerned. I sighed and sat back down. Mrs. Norris then stood, looking down at me with disdain and disappointment._

_"Your step-father will be here in ten minutes." And with that, she left. I held my head in my hands, not lifting it to acknowledge the approaching footsteps._

_"Alex?" Seto's voice came out in a whisper, his hand falling on my knee. "Are you okay?" Being a fourth grader, it was surprised how mature he was for his age. He was only a year younger than me, but could still relate to my social crises._

_"Yeah," I answered, bringing my head up, "I'm okay." Joselin, being a first grader, didn't really understand the stress, but still tried her best to comfort me. She crawled up on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck, and opened my locket, our mother's lullaby playing softly. _

_After five minutes had passed, the rumbling of a pickup truck entering the parking lot and screeching to a halt caused my head to snap up, my grip on my siblings tightening. My eyes flickered around the courtyard, finally falling on my step-father entering the area. I sighed and stood, slinging my bag over my shoulder, Seto and Joselin following as I trudged over to my step-father._

_"Alex," He sighed, "come on. Get in the car. Seto, Joselin; you too." My siblings and I followed our step-father to his large, black pickup truck and, after opening the back door for my younger relations, helped Seto and Joselin crawl into the back seat since the step itself was at their waists. Afterward, I side-stepped to face the passenger door and grabbing the handle, pulled the door open with an unnecessary amount of strength, and climbing into the leather seat. My bag sat on the floor by my feet, and I had to stand on the seat to reach the seat belt. _

_It was a big truck, believe you me._

_Once I had finally managed to buckle myself in, I stared at my hands, and didn't say or do anything else for the rest of the fifteen minute ride. I finally raised my head to look out the window as I felt the truck pull to a stop, stiffening as I scanned the dismal, mist-infested area. Painful memories of this place flooded back._

_"Why are we here?" I asked my step-father, my voice soft and unnoticeably shaking. _

_"I wanted to show you something, Alex." He answered, shutting off the engine and opening the car door. "Seto, Joselin, come with us." The three of us exited the car, my younger siblings trailing behind me like ducklings following their mother. My step-father lead us through the lifeless landscape, passing many engraved stones, some with flowers or wreaths piled in front of them, some standing all alone. I knew where we were._

_Our parents were buried here._

_And I was right; my step-father paused in front of two tombstones sitting beside one another, both with wilted roses. The stone on the left read:_  
Carter Malandra Leyton  
November 8th, 1967 – March 19th, 1993  
Death by House Fire

_The right read:_

Vincent Reilly Leyton  
August 5th, 1967 - May 28th, 1992  
Death by House Fire

_Strange how my parents died the same way; I've been studying it for years. Fate is a strange thing to contemplate. I should know._

_"__Alex." My step-father addressed me, sitting on his knees in front of my mother's grave. "Your mother wouldn't want this kind of behavior."_

_"__How would you know what she wants?" I retorted, my voice cold, and he heaved a sigh. _

But before he can answer, the memory begins to fade, and I return to reality, gasping for air.

"How does that…?" I trail off, my mind at work. "'_I have a name that's not mine… and no one cares about me in their prime…. People cry at my sight… and lie by me all day and night. What am I?' _The memory…" I bring myself to my feet, biting my lip as I contemplate the riddle's connection with the memory.

And it clicks.

"A tombstone; it has the name of the person who's buried, and no one cares about the actual stone itself." I explain to myself, pacing back and forth. "The loved ones cry upon seeing that person… has passed, and they're visited at any time of day. Ha! It all fits!"

"I told you it would help." The voice returns.

"Oh, be quiet. I didn't doubt you. You gave me no time to doubt you, to be frank." I snatch the vacant sign below the brainteaser and dagger that lie below it, and etch the word "tombstone" into the wood. I then nail the sign under its riddle, and step back to admire my work. One down, six to go.


	8. 7 A Friendly Betrayal 1 Fun and Games 1

(Ty's POV)

"Because… what?" I ask, eyeing Seto curiously as I place a hand on his shoulder. I can feel jealous rage boil inside me- Wait, rage… _jealous_ rage? Why am I jealous? It can't be because of Alex… can it?

"W-Well…" Seto's shaky start of a sentence drags me out of my thoughts, "s-she reminded me of someone I-I lost a-a few years ago."

"Like… a friend?"

"You c-could say that." My mind begins to work at several different scenarios, some I like, some I don't. Well, the majority I don't like. I should just get my mind off of it.

"Okay, but let's just try to change the subject. I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Good idea… Where do you think the others are?" _That_ gets the gears turning in my head – where _is_ Alex? And Adam, and Tyler, Mitch and Jerome? Jason?

"No clue," I answer, beginning to pace and gripping my elbows.

"What's got you so worried?" I glance over at Seto, stopping my pace and straightening myself. I immediately repeat in my mind, _don't say Alex. Don't say Alex._

"Worried?" I question, my speech suddenly rapid and I start to twitch, "I'm not worried. What makes you think I'm worried?" I laugh nervously and begin to tremble as my mind wanders to what happened to the rest of the group; Adam, Tyler, Mitch, Jerome, Jason, now that I know he's involved in this, Alex- I suddenly freeze: Alex. What happened to her? Where is she? Is she okay? My mind is plagued with millions of questions concerning her wellbeing, and I bite my lip. Why am I so worried about her? I met her just a couple nights ago! Seto, obviously seeing the look in my eyes, gets a firm grip on my shoulders, staring me dead in the eyes.

"Ty," he addresses me - his is voice firm, yet his gaze is soft, "relax." He lets his shoulders droop, his tone of voice softening. "We'll find them. They're probably alright. It takes a lot to kill those guys." I nod slowly, feeling my muscles relax. "Alex is fine… I hope." Everything tenses and my eyes widen as I barely hear the murmured comment.

"You hope?!" I snap, not really able to control my anger – what is wrong with me? "Well, hope isn't going to get us anywhere, is it?!"

"Ty, calm down." Seto releases my shoulders from his grip, gazing at me with worried eyes. "We need to keep our heads if we're going to get through this." I growl lowly, but shake my head lightly as to attempt to rid myself of the oncoming migraine.

"You're right." I sigh. This is going to be a long trial.

(Tyler's POV)

I sit alone in my new found shelter, sword in hand, ready to battle if needed. I've been in the game for only a couple hours, but it feels like it was days, and had several chances to upgrade my gear, which some I've taken. I'm now equipped with leather pants, a new iron chest plate since my last one broke, and a pair of rusted iron boots. My sword got an upgrade as well - a Fire Aspect II golden sword. If Adam could see me now…-

Adam… that reminds me: where is everyone? Mitch and Jerome are most likely here; Hunger Games is kind of their thing. But what about Ty? And Seto? And Jason? And Alex? What happened to her?

The snapping of a branch snaps me back to reality, and I scramble to my feet, my grip on my sword tight. Voices suddenly sound in the same direction as the footfalls. Two different voices. I glance around and climb up the vines that create a new layer on the crumbling brick wall, pulling myself onto a ledge just above the entryway. Keeping myself silent, my eyes follow the pair of tributes, no doubt in alliance, as they cautiously step into the decomposing structure. They both have pretty good gear, from what I can see; one wears a pair of leather pants, but he grips a bow in his hand, a quiver packed with arrows slung around his torso and hangs loosely from his back, which make up for the lowly armor. The other's equipped with an iron axe, leather boots, and an iron chest plate; not bad. Could be better, but pretty impressive for just a couple hours. They seem so familiar – it's scary.

(Mitch's POV)

Jerome and I stalk into the remains of a brick building, most likely once a factory of some sort, with our weapons drawn. You can never be too careful in the Games. It's been three hours, and five tributes are already dead. I winced as the cannon went off each time. I never wanted this. I never wanted people to die – I thought we would respawn! The other rounds I've played have killed us off completely. We'll, at least the first didn't.

Once finished with scanning the area for other tributes, we find nothing but the cold and lonely remains of the structure. But I hear a small chunk of rubble crash to the floor. I whip my body around, the arrow notched in my bow aiming above the door. Jerome snaps his head to me, then copies me.

"Show yourself!" I shout, the feather of the arrow brushing my cheek, sitting in the small dent one leaves every time I shoot. Jerome, noticing the tone of my voice, winces, glancing over to me for a moment, but I don't return the gaze – I step closer. "Don't make me fire!" I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears, the adrenaline rushing through my veins-

"I don't think you want to fire, Mitch." That wasn't Jerome – it was the other tribute. I know that voice. I recognize that voice, that attitude – and that hoodie.

"Tyler?" I lower my bow, the tension on the string disappearing along with my anger.

"Yeah, it's me." Tyler hops down from the ledge, a few bruises here and there, slits in his clothes, dirt smudging and scratches marking his skin in several places. He takes note of my worried gaze. "I'm okay. Really."

"Nice to know we're not alone here." Jerome comments softly, but I tense at the statement – if it wasn't bad enough that I would have to face Jerome in the Death Match, now I have to either die for or watch Tyler, on his death bed. The last time I was in the Games, I was alone; I had no allies. I've been in the Games twice already; I don't want to do this again. I don't want Jerome or Tyler to die at my hands, or for me. This is Tyler's first Games, Jerome's third. I can't do this again. I'd probably kill myself before the other tributes got the chance.

"Yo, Benja?" Jerome's voice drags me from my thoughts. "You okay, bud?"

I nod shakily, "Yeah. I-I'm okay." He embraces me – he knows exactly what's going through my head. We know each other that well. Tyler is standing near us, arms crossed, watching us with a sad smile. Stepping over, he hugs us both. I sniffle, feeling tears sting my eyes and blurring my vision somewhat. I blink them away.

"Awe, Benja~." Jerome titters, hugging me a bit tighter.

"Quiet, Fluffy." My scolding isn't very effective, given the fact that my voice was breaking. Tyler half smiles, trying to cheer me up.

"Nothing is going to happen to you two while I'm still kicking." I state, my voice soft. "If someone wants to get to you, they'll have to go through me first."


End file.
